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I read somewhere recently that the goguides directory is spidered by Google. I have no idea about the PR issues, but the link back to you will not hurt.
In fact, over at another website I won't bother to name, the only selling point the GoGuides rep seems to have is "We count as an incoming link in Google". It's kind of sad, actually.
Granted ODP has the added value of being Google's directory as well, and it's used on Tons of others sites - but everyone has to start somewhere.
It's not really a matter of 'where are they now', but more 'where will they be in the future'.
GoGuides, if handled correctly, could grow into being a decent ODP competitor (and I mean that in the nicest possible way). How many are staking that Gigablast will be something down the line? Why should GoGuides be any different?
GoGuides have already started seeing an increase in submissions - their public awareness is growing and so far it's mostly positive. Their turn around is faster than ODP, they still have the heart, desire, passion to do something well and they work at it. Definitely not a site to snub IMHO.
On the plus side it is a free directory listing, no pop-ups and a real live human being answered my email when I sent them a question.
For the five minutes it takes to submit I would say that is pretty decent value. :)
IMO it is definitely worth submitting to. It will help in getting indexed by Google.
Actually it's not sad. How much traffic does ODP drive to your site directly from dmoz.org?
More than I get from Teoma or Alltheweb, and that's not counting the ODP licensees like Google.
Besides, I wasn't dissing GoGuides for being small, I was dissing its (self-appointed?) rep for having nothing good to say about his own site beside "it's a link". Dmoz editors can be real sons-of-bitches (I know, I used to be one), but at least they take pride in their work. Never buy from a salesman who doesn't believe in his own product.
And no, I don't think GoGuides, JoeAnt, Hotrate, or any of the other directories listed here [dmoz.org] are going to have the effect the ODP had on the Web because they misunderstand the ODP's best selling point: It's not size, it's not volunteerism, it's opening the content to use by other sites. That's what sold the ODP to the rest of the Net, even when it was smaller than Yahoo. The ODP isn't a site; it's an app.
GoGuides, although looking better than it used to, is still showing a bad case of Portal Envy. (They've still got a superflous news page, but at least they lost the weather reports.) An underfunded destination site doesn't impress me. There's nothing new there.
I agree as to the reason for ODP's success - your completely right.
I'd be the first to sign up if GoGuides offered their directory in such a manner.
But - really - why do *we* want inclusion in ODP, surely not for the traffic - way to much of a pain for that. I could even care less about the auto link on their data partners.
It's the other benefits that I'm interested in. Those benefits exist with GoGuides as they do with other human edited spiderable directories and I don't have to wait months for inclusion, I likes them odds :)
you said about our spiderability: "which from what I understand Joe is working on but hasn't accomplished yet"
I tested a little on Gigablast. Have a look at
[gigablast.com...]
Hugo
